Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of controlling soil moisture, water accumulation and fertilizer distribution in land. In particular, the present method employs topographic data to implement the control on farmland, where elevational differences may redistribute water and fertilizer.
Description of the Related Art
The topography of the land, the amount of water that falls on the land (e.g. through precipitation and irrigation), and soil properties factor into the amount of moisture that accumulate in the soil within a given land portion. Such considerations matter to the farmer and others involved in farm management. The orientation of farmland with regard to the position of the sun influences the amount of water removed from the soil by evaporation, which is another component of soil moisture variations across the land. The amount of water retained by the soil may be related to achievable crop yield, whereas lack of water or excess water can reduce the yield. Year-to-year variations in the yield can be attributed to the amount of water retained by the soil and other factors like farm management, seed type, among other factors.
Within a farm or other parcel of land, there may be any number of variations in the elevation of the land. Water will accumulate in areas of low elevation, with precipitation and water from irrigation running off from higher elevation areas within a farm. Low lying areas may be expected to have more water on and in the soil, due to water collecting in these areas. Depending on the amount of water and evaporation from solar radiation, crop yield may be affected adversely. Too much water accumulating on or in the land may adversely affect crop yield. For example, in a relatively wet year more water will accumulate in low elevation areas, with the excess water possibly pooling on the surface. Such excessive water can lower crop yield.
In agriculture, too much water can be counterproductive by preventing root development, thereby inhibiting the growth of crops. Too much water also can limit access to the land, particularly by farm machinery. Large and heavy farm machinery, e.g., tractors and other implements, are used to prepare the seedbed, to plant the crop, to cultivate the crop, and to harvest the crop. Operating heavy machinery on excessively wet soil may compact the soil to an extent that the soil becomes degraded and unusable for growing purposes.